Where to buy uncooked fish collars and bellies?

F

fumbling_IHB

New member
I'm a big fan of the yellowtail collars and salmon collars at Japanese restaurants. Whole Foods in the District used to have smoked collars (but not uncooked) occasionally but they had a kind of unusual flavoring I didn't care for particularly. Where can I buy the fresh uncooked collars in the O.C.? I also like the fatty fish bellies like salmon. In the San Fernando Valley there is a Korean market at White Oak and Sherman Way that sold salmon bellies and bones that I would barbecue, with the fatty part dripping down into the BBQ for the smoky flavor. My friends and family love this kind of grilled salmon compared to the fatless filet that turns out too dry after BBQ. Anyone know where I can buy fatty fish bellies too? I've been to a few local Korean markets but didn't see anything similar.
 
Have you tried the 99 Ranch stores yet? There are 2 in Irvine and a few more throughout so.cal. I have seen the collars there, raw. I haven't seen the bellies but you might be able to get them by asking the guys behind the counter. One 99 ranch is near off the Jeffry exit of the 405 and the other is on Culver halfway between the 5 and 405. You can google them to find their other locations.
 
Fish collar update: The 99 Ranch on Jeffrey had salmon collars in shrinkwrap but unfortunately they were spoiled (smelled fishy when I opened them at home) but they also had chilean sea bass collars on ice which were really good when I put them on the BBQ.
 
The fish and meat at Ranch99 can sometimes be a gamble. You should try some of the Japanese markets like <a href="http://www.mitsuwa.com/english/index.html">Mitsuwa Market</a> in Costa Mesa or <a href="http://www.marukai.com/location-e.html">Marukai Market</a> also in Costa Mesa. More expensive than Ranch99 but as they say you get what you pay for.
 
[quote author="fumbling" date=1230781528]Fish collar update: The 99 Ranch on Jeffrey had salmon collars in shrinkwrap but unfortunately they were spoiled (smelled fishy when I opened them at home) but they also had chilean sea bass collars on ice which were really good when I put them on the BBQ.</blockquote>


How do you make them on the bbq? Any marinate or smoke?
 
Over the years I've settled on one all purpose seasoning that I put on BBQ meats that everyone says it's great, it's SusieQ's brand Santa Maria Style Seasoning, 805-937-2402, www.susieqbrand.com that believe it or not I originally got from Costco many years ago and now order from the website as needed. Other seasonings I've tried have a aftertaste or a particular ingredient that stands out excessively, but this Santa Maria seasoning is very nicely balanced with a really good taste IMHO. I sprinkle this seasoning over the meats (could be pork, beef, chicken or fish collars) and BBQ it until it's done. The chilean sea bass collar tasted great and reminded me of crab meat somewhat as it was white like that. The other marinade I like for BBQ is an Asian based marinade made from soy sauce, chopped ginger, cilantro, onions and some tomatoes. I've never used artificial smoke since all I want is the natural smokiness of the BBQ process.
 
The Marukai market in CM did have yellowtail collar, I marinated them in soy sauce and put them on the BBQ for 15 minutes, delicious! I also bought the chilean sea bass filets they had, BBQ'd them too for fish tacos.
 
[quote author="fumbling" date=1231642770]The Marukai market in CM did have yellowtail collar, I marinated them in soy sauce and put them on the BBQ for 15 minutes, delicious! I also bought the chilean sea bass filets they had, BBQ'd them too for fish tacos.</blockquote>


Those sound delicious...I am going to try out the collars on the bbq someday soon...just wondering though, why do you look for the collars? Why not just fillets or yellowtail steaks?
 
It's a bit hard to describe but I'll try...the meat around the fish collar is different in texture from the filet, like the difference between dark turkey and turkey breast. The fish collars remind me of the more flavorfull (to me) dark meat while the fish filet remind me of the dryer white meat. The fish collar meat is also fattier and with the meat cooking next to the bony part of the fish collar, gets some kind of synergistic flavoring from the BBQ process, a lot like how ribeye with the bone in seems more flavorful than a sirloin or filet mignon because of the extra fat marbling with the bone sizzling on the grill. It's an interesting option instead of the usual fish filets just like eating BBQ pork ribs seems a bit more tasty than eating a lean pork chop.
 
This is slightly off-topic... for those who enjoy fishing and eating fatty fish bellies, please take note the locations of your catch and recommended consumption levels:



<img src="http://www.pvsfish.org/graphics/healt-coast.jpg" alt="" />



<img src="http://www.pvsfish.org/graphics/healt-fishtable.jpg" alt="" />



<a href="http://www.pvsfish.org/health-preparations-guideline.html">http://www.pvsfish.org/health-preparations-guideline.html</a>



<a href="http://www.pvsfish.org/education-Education-Materials-Library.html">http://www.pvsfish.org/education-Education-Materials-Library.html</a>



<a href="http://www.pvsfish.org/health-scsfa.html">http://www.pvsfish.org/</a>



<a href="http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/tox/fishcontamination.htm">http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/tox/fishcontamination.htm</a>



<em>Fish is an important part of a healthy diet. It is high in protein and low in fat. Fish is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important for brain and vision development and can help reduce the risk of hypertension, cancer and other chronic diseases. Perhaps one of the most noteworthy findings has been that eating fish regularly can actually prevent heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends that people eat 2-3 meals of fish per week.



Unfortunately, some fish contain harmful chemicals like mercury, PCBs and DDTs. Since these chemicals can build up in the body, continuous exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of developing health problems. It is especially important that growing children, pregnant and breastfeeding women and women who may become pregnant, exercise caution about how much fish and the types of fish they eat. To help consumers reduce their exposure to contaminated fish, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a joint advisory containing consumption guidelines.



Guidelines for Reducing Mercury Exposure From Fish



By following these three recommendations for selecting and eating fish or shellfish, women and young children will receive the benefits of eating fish and shellfish and can be confident that they have reduced their exposure to the harmful effects of mercury.



1. Do not eat Shark, Swordfish, King Mackerel, or Tilefish because they contain high levels of mercury.



2. Eat up to 12 ounces (2 average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are lower in mercury.

- Five of the most commonly eaten fish that are low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock, and catfish.

- Another commonly eaten fish, albacore ("white") tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. So, when choosing your two meals of fish and shellfish, you may eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) of albacore tuna per week.



3. Check local advisories about the safety of fish caught by family and friends in your local lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. If no advice is available, eat up to 6 ounces (one average meal) per week of fish you catch from local waters, but don't consume any other fish during that week.



Follow these same recommendations when feeding fish and shellfish to your young child, but serve smaller portions.</em>
 
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